Lifetime orders second season of 'Devious Maids'

Lifetime doesn't want the dust to settle just yet. The network has ordered a second season of its soap drama "Devious Maids."

The Mexican import centers on five Latina maids — played by Ana Ortiz, Roselyn Sanchez, Judy Reyes, Dania Ramirez and Edy Ganem — who work for the well-heeled elite in Beverly Hills and find themselves bonded when a fellow housemaid is murdered. The Marc Cherry series drew much criticism ahead of its premiere from within the Latino community and beyond questioning whether the show perpetuates negative stereotypes.

Accusations surrounding the series, an adaptation of Televisa's telenovela "Ellas son la Alegria del Hogar" (They Are the Joy of Home") had executive producer Eva Longoria on the offense.

"What I didn't expect was that much criticism from our own community having not even seen it," she told The Times in a May interview. "It doesn't define our culture, if we're playing these types of roles."

That didn't stop the more than 2 million viewers who tuned in to its June 23 premiere — and the numbers have steadily grown since then. While still hardly the type of numbers Cherry's ABC soap "Desperate Housewives" drew with its Sunday airings in its heyday, the sudser has at least done well in positioning Lifetime as cable's No. 1 network in the 10 p.m. ET/PT slot among women.

“One of the most daring series on television, "Devious Maids" has quickly become a hit. We are very proud of the show and are delighted to continue our partnership with Marc Cherry, Eva Longoria, Sabrina Wind, ABC Studios and Televisa USA. I am thrilled we are bringing "Devious Maids" back for a second season to lead our scripted slate in 2014,” said Rob Sharenow, executive vice president and general manager of Lifetime, in a statement.